{Original Story}
Having supernatural powers should feel like a blessing, but for Jack Parker, the most powerful Gifted in the world, it means he gets to be haunted by ghosts, hallucinations, and premonitions. Oh, and he's also on the run to stay on...
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Maya must've dozed off at some point because she suddenly jerked awake. The first thing she registered was that her cheek hurt from being pressed against the seatbelt, and there was probably a red splotch on her face because of it. The next thing she registered was the rumbling engine, getting steadily louder as the car increased speed.
Maya looked over at Jack. There was something odd in the way his eyes were narrowed, something uncharacteristic in the way his mouth was scrunched up at the corner. The speedometer was at seventy-five now, but it kept climbing higher.
It was greyish-dark outside, but the time display was glitching through all the numbers, so as far as Maya knew, it could be a fresh evening or an early morning. The road was curved, winding in between the slopes of a mountain and a dense thicket of trees. Through the side windows, the world passed by in an uncomfortably swift blur.
She gripped her seatbelt. "Why are we going so fast?"
Jack didn't answer, he only looked up at the rearview mirror.
Maya twisted around in her seat to look out the back windshield. There were no cars behind them, just a long stretch of dark road...but there were indents showing up in the asphalt, one at a time, getting closer. There was something thumping, something that wasn't just her heart pounding against her ribs. It was as if an invisible giant were chasing them, each step rattling the earth.
"Is something following us?" Maya asked.
Jack didn't answer.
She looked out the windshield again just in time to watch a massive tree splinter and fall into the road. The indents grew deeper, sending cracks across the asphalt, and the pounding grew louder. The car was shaking now, as were the trees, sending flocks of sleepy birds scattering into the sky.
"Something's following us," Maya said, a statement this time and not a question. "Does it want to kill us?"
"It wants to kill me," Jack said. "But if it does, then the car crashes, and you die anyway."
Maya narrowed her eyes in focus, but the thing following them was invisible, at least to her. Could Jack see it? He had to. She almost asked if he could show it to her, the way he showed her Jeanine, but it was probably best if he didn't.
"If things like this happen," Maya asked, "why doesn't anyone know? Why don't people believe in ghosts and monsters?"
"Because it's in the mountains. Because the only people witnessing this are you and me, and we're not going to tell anyone."
"But what if we did?" she insisted. "What if a Gifted or someone from that cult talked about it? Proved it?"
"Well." He eased up on the gas. "Then people would go into hysterics. Religions would go to war to prove or disprove. Humanity descends into chaos. But sure, Maya," he said sarcastically, "Let's tell everyone!"
